EAGLE, Colo. — Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s current five-year Big Game Season Structure expires at the end of 2019, and the agency is now gathering input to develop the next five-year plan. CPW invites Eagle area residents to attend a public meeting on Jan. 15 at the Eagle County building to gather input and ideas for the next Big Game Season Structure for 2020-2024.

“We reexamine and reset our big game season structure every five years, and public input is a big part of the process," said Area Wildlife Manager Perry Will of Glenwood Springs. "These plans impact our wildlife management decisions, but we recognize how much they also affect our sportsmen, local businesses and local economies."

To obtain as much public feedback as possible, CPW has provided an online comment form and will host two telephone town halls in 2019 in addition to live public meetings. Public comments are accepted through Feb. 4, 2019.

Key issues being addressed for the next big game season structure include season length and timing, overlap among different seasons and breaks between seasons and the start and end dates of seasons. Additional topics for feedback on the online comment form are safety concerns, youth hunting opportunities and archery hunting strategies.

A summary of the public’s input will be presented alongside information from wildlife managers and biologists to the Parks and Wildlife Commission in March for final recommendations, with the adoption of the plan by the Commission in July or September 2019. Once approved, the new season structure will go into effect from 2020 through 2024.

“It's important for CPW to get feedback from all of the people who have a stake in our big game seasons," Will said. "The five-year season structure helps us design hunting seasons that work for our sportsmen and women and our community, while also managing to our big game population objectives."